Aero India 2003, the aerospace exposition in Bangalore, showcases a range of aviation hardware in a context of heightened competition in the international market.
in BangaloreAERO INDIA 2003, the international aerospace exposition that was held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station near Bangalore from February 5 to 9, had an added dimension to it this time round, compared withits past versions. Faced with the shrinking military and civilian markets in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War, lobbying by the United States in a post-sanctions regime situation intensified the keenness with which international companies pursued the multi-million dollar contracts that India is bound to seek in order to meet its substantial defence and civilian aviation requirements. The lobbying and the political pressure play by the big names were quite open - to the chagrin of their smaller competitors.
Leading the way in `advocating' American hardware was the U.S. Ambassador to India, Robert D. Blackwill, who said at the show: "For products that are good, persuading as best as we can (requires) no apologies."
Foreign military sales to India are currently worth some $190 million. The long `Entity List' that barred American companies from doing business with certain Indian organisations has been trimmed from over 150 to less than 20.
American companies are also keen to outsource critical aviation components under joint venture arrangements with Indian defence equipment manufacturers, especially Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This is viewed as a threat by the Russian/former Soviet bloc countries (from where some 70 per cent of all equipment now with the Indian armed forces originate). European manufacturers that have traditionally controlled the Indian defence market are also worried. They are bracing for an American `invasion'.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin visited the air show, seeking to promote his country's products. Britain is pitching for the BAe Systems' Hawk as a possible Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a deal worth around $1.6 billion.
Also in the fray was Israel. Leaders in marrying eastern (read Russian) machines with western avioncis, the Israelis have over the past decade led the way in the technology for military aircraft, missile technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other defence aviation technologies. In the upgrades sector, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) has supplied the kits for the Army's Mi-35 combat transport helicopter upgrade programme. Thirteen of the contracted 20 helicopters have already been upgraded. (Integration is done in India.) The IAI is with HAL in a programme to convert 15 Boeing 737 passenger aircraft into cargo versions for the export market. This conversion is being done in Israel, with HAL designing and supplying the kits.
In addition, the IAI has installed an advanced modular avionics package for the indigenously built multi-mission Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), named Dhruv. The package includes a glass cockpit, facilities for day and night observation, an optical targeting system which includes a CCD camera, a flexible armament network, radar, laser and missile warning systems and an electronic warfare suite. All this is designed to enable Dhruv to operate successfully in battlefield conditions. According to sources, Thailand and Columbia are interested in this version of Dhruv, which has so far been flown for around 50 hours.
The IAI is vying with Russia for the multi-role Mi-8/17 upgrade programme. The Indian armed forces operate over 160 of these helicopters and the IAI is offering transfer of technology to HAL for the upgrade. The upgrade cost is $1 million to 2 million.
Israel is offering a full family of UAVs - for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition - including models such as the Heron and the all-weather Searcher MK II (which is an advanced version of the Indian Army's Searcher UAVs). Also on view were total area control surveillance systems, third generation fire and forget or fire-observe-update missiles with day and night capabilities (such as Gil and Spike) for use both on land and at sea, and protection suites for helicopters (Helicoat).
Heron, which is an operational fourth generation, medium altitude long endurance (MALE), no visibility, no sound signature system that provides deep penetration, wide area, real time intelligence to national agencies, theatre commanders and the lower echelons of the security apparatus, was in action at Aero India. It can carry up to 250 kg of customer-furnished equipment and has demonstrated 36 hours of continuous flight when fully loaded. Rafael, another Israeli defence manufacturer, showcased Python, its air-to-air beyond visual range missile, anti-armour missiles and directional infrared counter measure systems for helicopters. Also on view was `Litening', an airborne infrared navigation and targeting pod, which the IAF used on its Mirage 2000 during the Kargil conflict.
When competition is stiff, the political clout of a government often tilts the balance. Poland, say aero experts, was "firmly coaxed" to opt for American (Lockheed Martin) built F-16 fighters rather than the Swedish-British fourth generation JAS 39 Gripen, though the latter is clearly superior in terms of payload, range performance, the use of structural composites, payload as a percentage of overall weight, life-cycle cost, and even agility. Lockheed Martin's F-16 campaign director in Poland admitted that lobbying was important when he said after securing the Polish contract: "I would like to add my personal thanks to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw for its strong support and guidance during the campaign effort, and the excellent teamwork of the U.S. government agencies in Washington."
The U.S. and the countries of the erstwhile Soviet bloc (mainly Russia) still account for nearly 80 per cent of all military equipment sold worldwide. Europe, mainly France and Britain, accounts for the rest. The two schools have different philosophies. The Americans and the Europeans make a qualitative effort in the case of each aircraft, and may produce them in fewer numbers. On the other hand, the Russian aircraft are cheaper but a defence force might need more numbers. Many countries like India have therefore maintained a pattern of dual-supply: the bulk of the aircraft come from Russia but the cutting edge component is supplied from the West. Soviet bloc equipment is still value-for-money but the non-availability of spares is a problem.
PARTNERSHIPS continue to be the name of the game in the highly competitive and capital-intensive global defence and civilian aviation sectors. At Aero India 2003, talks on joint ventures and co-production between international corporations and their Indian counterparts were in focus.
While most of the discussions on joint ventures and prospective export orders involving Indian companies remained inconclusive, a handful of tie-ups and export orders were announced. The most notable ones were those between HAL and the IAI to market the ALH globally; between HAL and a consortium of Russian companies led by the Irkutz Aircraft Production Organisation (IAPO) jointly to de-novo design, develop and produce a 100-seater/cargo multi-role transport aircraft (MTA), also called Combi, in a project worth $350 million. The IAF's tactical and strategic squadrons have been using the Antonov An-32 (with a payload of 5 to 10 tonnes) and Ilyushin II-76MD (42 tonne payload) for airlift duties, but spares support has been patchy. The new MTA could be positioned between the two aircraft types, even replacing the An-32. The IAF, which needs around 60 of these aircraft, is also toying with a cost-effective solution to buy, upgrade and refurbish the U.S.-made C-130 Hercules. A more expensive option would be a new variant, Hercules C-130J.
HAL announced a $5 million export order to supply forgings and castings to Rolls-Royce and another worth $9 million from Russia's Irkutz Corporation to supply sub-assemblies for the Sukhoi-30 series of fighters. HAL and the French aircraft engine manufacturer Snecma Motenurs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-produce for the global market engines for civil aircraft and helicopters. HAL has also tied up with the Snecma subsidiary Turbomeca to design and develop jointly a derivative of the TM-333-2B2 engine, which currently powers the ALH and is being supplied by Turbcomeca. The requirement for a higher power engine was felt during the Kargil operations. To be called Ardiden overseas and Shakti in India, it will power the Army variant of the ALH by 2006. Expectations are that the programme could produce over 300 engines for the Indian market alone. It was also confirmed that Israel would buy Lakshya, the pilotless target vehicle, designed and manufactured by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
THE event showcased flying demonstrations by fixed and rotary wing fighter and civilian aircraft: the Su-30MKI (MI stands for Modified India); the MiG-29 M2 (an upgraded/modified version of the MiG-29); the Mirage 2000; the Sepecat/HAL built Jaguar Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft (also used for maritime strikes); the Mi-35 helicopter gunship; ALH prototypes for the Navy, the Army and the civilian markets; the Bell 407; the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters; the indigenously produced Light Combat Aircraft (LCA); Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) from BAe Systems (Hawk ZJ 100); RAC MiG (MiG-AT) and Aero Vodochody (L-159B); civilian jets such as the Embraer AS 350 B3, the Falcon 900 EX and the Learjet 60. There were 176 companies from 22 countries present. The most prominent of them were from France, Russia, Israel, Italy, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. There were over 60 aircraft in the static and flying displays.
Aero India 2003 was about showcasing globally available defence aviation platforms and allied systems. It offered the Indian aviation sector a shop window to highlight it's capabilities in design, development and production of defence and civil aviation-related technologies; exhibited India's growing stature in aerospace technology which was evident from the interest shown in the LCA (see separate story), the ALH, the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) - the IAF has ordered 16 of these and the HAL's latest offering, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The IAF has offered Rs. 300 crores to fund in part the LCH project, and according to HAL Chairman N.R. Mohanty, the helicopter will make its maiden flight in 2005.
Organised by the Department of Defence Production and Supplies (DDPS), Ministry of Defence (MoD), in cooperation with the DRDO, the IAF, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Department of Space, Aero India 2003 had a budget of Rs. 8 crores.
Dr. V.K. Koshy, Chairman, Bharat Electronics Limited said: "The air show is a good forum to demonstrate and create an awareness of the new products that are coming out of our research laboratories. The awareness will quicken the process of evaluation. And since there are many international delegations, we hope that this show will help open up a dialogue with them. Initial interest can be generated." Aero India 2003 followed Avia India '91, the only one in the series - Avia India '93, Hexa India '95, Aero India '96, Aero India '98 and Aero India 2001 - that was not held in Bangalore.
This series of air shows, however, can hardly be compared with such mega shows as Farnborough (near London), Le Bourget (near Paris), Moscow, Dubai and China. Some pundits have averred that as an event Aero India could be pushed up a few notches if only the MoD handed over the organisation and conduct of the show to private players, those whose business it is to market air shows around the world.
According to Tapan Ray, Joint Secretary (Exports), the DDPS has realised this. He said: "We have commissioned the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, to make a critical assessment on whether it makes professional and business sense for us to be directly managing the show or whether it would be better to hand it over to a private agency." The next such event, due in 2007, could well be managed by private players. A senior officer from HAL said: "It doesn't make professional sense to call in the IAF to prepare for the show, or ask HAL officials to handle the media. The MoD should have overall directional control, but the logistics of running the event should be handed over to people who do shows day in and day out." The show organisers at both Farnborough and Le Bourget are societies of aerospace firms - the Society of British Aerospace Companies at Farnborough, and Gifas (representing the French aerospace industry) at Le Bourget.
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